CB1 that was a fantastic video props to those guys in the cold water.
Done about 30 odd hours on the
Hull Rippers on 3 different boards here is my review. All the reviews are in small to medium waves 10 -20 knots of wind in moderate to sh!tty conditions , sorry haven't had good waves for ages.
Boards :- 8-9 HR wide , 9-1 HR Pro & 9-2 HR wide Carbon. Three extremely different boards I'm 6ft & 90 kgs and the review is absed on my size , weight and ability (advanced kook). All boards were set up with same Quad fins , Pancho fronts & controller rears ,(tried the 9-1 as a 2+1) the V bottom on the Hull rippers adds apx 4 to 5 degrees to the fin cant so be prepared to try different fins as the ole faithful set may not work on these boards. I've done the hard work and trust me this is the set up.I still run the Jamie Mitchell thruster set on my std Rippers.
9-1 HR Pro:- Done most of my time on the 9-1 pro , beautiful looking board with a great outline. I have always ridden sub 9-0 narrow boards around 28 wide and coming from my 8-11 Ripper this was my initial pick from the HR's and it was about 1/2 kg heavier than the 8-11 Ripper , float wise no problems balance wise it's tough for my size. Very tricky in the chop (smooth water no worries) you need to keep your feet away from the edges when paddling and stand in slight surfer stance. You also need to understand about the boards Hull design , it rocks like a boat with the curved bottom so you need to move with it if you stiffen up it's not long before you get leg burn but you do get used to it.
On the wave it was great and very easy to turn dropping onto to it's rail with good speed and very easy to do re-entries , you can turn the board from the middle and not get back on it but this will make the board do some strange things , these boards are meant to be driven and not ridden if you get my point. In the foam or running around sections the board seems to lift up and run over the foam balls (very good). Overall good board but after a couple of hours you really feel it in the legs and it does affect your surfing.
This board is really for advanced riders at my weight or intermediates 10 kegs less.This board would be insane on a glassy 4 to 5 foot day.
8-9 HR wide:- Not a fan of wide boards I jumped on this and went "Wow how stable is this" , heaps of float the wind was blowing it's guts out and still no problem.Similar weight to the 9-1 Pro HR , first wave was a classic surfing in a rip caught a little 2 to 3 footer and then it jacked to 4ft on the reef , a free fall on my first wave landed and turned in the same movement back to the top to a cutback back and away I went , amazing board had a great 2 hours session it . Great paddle speed for it's size and very easy to throw around , the extra width did not affect performance in fact I improved on it as I was more stable and focused on my turns , like the 9-1 it could be turned from the middle but you will get caught out , you need to move your feet and drive this board.
This board will suit intermediate to advanced riders at my weight or intermediates 5 kegs less.9-2 HR Carbon Wide:- Unwrapped this baby and it looked big & wide nothing like I would ever ride.It still had a nice outline better than the 8-9 HR wide the extra length gave it's nice shape.The big surprise was when I picked it up apx 1kg lighter than the others and lighter than my 8-11 ripper with all that extra foam.These carbon boards are a completely different build and it does come at an extra cost. My first surf was in absolute sh!t conditions 15 to 20 knot N.E which on the Gold Coast is stay home and drink wind.It's had tons of float as I paddled out through the crap struggling and thinking this is a complete waste of time , after about 10 mins I managed to scramble onto a wave tried to turn and went flat on my face (total kook effort) I put it down to the chop and tried again almost did the same again and surfed it out still looking like a kook. Next wave dropped the back foot onto the stomp pad and this board turned like something half it size with speed and I was off that's all it took .I rode this board a bit more mal style and just loved it , get that foot back and push and it just accelerates , even in the absolute crap conditions I could push this around and over sections.
I went out again this morning in much nicer conditions with a hang over as it was still blowing N.E and the surf was still pretty small .Wave after wave bottom turn pump pump , R.E , cut back ,R.E I couldn't do a thing wrong , if you look at it , it's a big board but surfs like grommet rocket pocket .I have definitely changed my opinion on bigger wider boards. You just have to learn to move your feet to surf these Hull Rippers.Don't get caught mid board this is where it will throw you , in the end I was doing cross step cutbacks with ease. If I had to choose one from the three than this is it . A board for all conditions , just love it.
This board will most riders intermediate to advanced up to almost a 100 kegs.These are a couple of videos showing the 9-1 HR pro (have now changed fin set up) in the first one and there is some of me on the 8-9 HR wide in the second one , sorry none of the 9-2 HR wide.
Rob
!!! I generally surf anything up to 6ft and 8ft if it is a nice slow old man's wave. My major concern is catching a rail after hitting the lip. We had some good waves in Vicco on Thursday and the Hull Paddler decided to give me a heart punch as it caught its rail on the way back round on a solid little 4 footer. I then snapped the leg rope to add insult to injury. Have you tried the Allwave as well Hilly? I'n looking forward to your comparison.
